As we look at the world in which we are living, our hearts break over the fact that so many live without the basic ingredients needed to survive. We find it unfathomable to think that in our day of technology and wealth that we can allow more than 30,000 innocent young children to die of preventable diseases or hunger each day, yet we realize there are forces at work much larger than us.

Fundamentally, we see great evidence of a fall, and when we read the scriptures we are able to discern some of the causes of poverty, corruption and injustice, as well as some of the cures. Being shaped by the story of God and looking at the story of the world, we recognize that human ingenuity is not enough. When we look at who we are and the complexities of the problem of poverty, it overwhelms us and sometimes causes us to be cynical. The only thing that gives us hope for the future is Jesus, for he seems to be the only one who was able to live a life fully faithful to God.

Kairos Los Angeles and the local churches of the Turkana region have been in fellowship and loving our Lord Jesus Christ together since JR Woodward and some members from Kairos visited Kenya in 2005 to bring relief for those suffering from famine caused by a severe drought. Since then, our relationship has grown through a second group visiting Kenya and through the creation of the Solis Foundation, a nonprofit focused on helping to achieve economic sustainability in developing communities, as well as trips between the Turkana region and Los Angeles. In our most recent connection, two pastors from the Turkana region, Joshua Lemuya and Moses Lorukudi, came to build relationships in the Kairos communities in Hollywood and West Los Angeles in the Summer of 2008.